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Sunday, January 3, 2016

The Doers And The Takers

…..There are doers in this world and there are takers. I don’t
want to draw lines and divide us all, but somewhere is a line that divides
those who take more than they give from those who give more then they take.

…..But let’s not obsess about it too much. The line that
does divide the takers from the givers is not one that’s easy to see. It’s
probably not one that we as human beings are capable of drawing, seeing as so
many different factors go into what makes a person’s stay on this earth a net
asset as opposed to a net liability. A housewife who has never worked a day in
her life has done more than most if she has raised healthy, contributing
children who are looking out for their fellow man, especially if she has found
time to contribute to various volunteer activities most of us just don’t seem
to find the time for. Again, that line is a difficult one to draw and I’m
humble enough not to presume that I am capable of judging just where it should
go. It’s the sort of thing wise people leave in God’s hands, whether they
believe in Him or not.

…..What I can say, I think, is where it should not be drawn.
Being human beings we like to come up with simplistic models in order to help
us understand a complicated reality, and no more so with drawing the line
between the doers and the takers. And the yardstick we use to measure between
the two uses dollar bills instead of inches. You see, money is the final
determiner of who contributes and who is a drain on society. At least to many
people. At least to those who own the media and influence our legislators with
healthy campaign donations. According to them, money is the measurement that
never lies, it is the golden rod sent down from Heaven to measure the worth of
a man. If you are paid a lot of money, you are worth more to society, such a
thing is unquestionable according to the wisdom of today.

…..As I said, we humans like to find a quick and easy answer
to everything, but life is never quick or easy unless you are both very
fortunate and very dumb.

…..I appreciate those who hustle and make things happen. I
freely admit that I am not always one of those people. There are those who are
able to direct the energies of others in order to make possible what those
people individually would never be able to accomplish. (If at any time during
my argument you feel I am neglecting that fact, please reread this paragraph).
Such people deserve adequate recognition and recompense.

…..But having said that, let us not confuse those who are
capable of making a lot of money with those who have given more than they have
taken. Assuredly there is a great deal of overlap between the two, but let us
not mistake one group for the other. Let us not use the yardstick of money as
the only measuring stick.

…..Because there are many people who earn their money in
ways that do not benefit society. Oh, I know, the magic of the market states
money equals value, but I learned the silliness of such a notion at about the
same time as my dad gave me the lowdown on The Tooth Fairy, The Easter Bunny,
and Santa. Sorry, Virginia, there is no such thing as magic.

…..You see, I’ve always liked good music and could never
understand why the worst sort of musicians often made the most money. Just how
much did Milli Vanilli make, anyhow? I appreciated really good writers and
wondered why they were rarely the ones you could find on the bestsellers list.
And don’t try and sell me the idea that in some way they’re making the world
better by producing what they do, because I’m not buying it. Don’t tell me 50
Cent is worth the money he made, don’t tell me EL James has given more to
society than Daniel Woodrell, because that insults my intelligence, insults the
very concept of intelligence.

…..You don’t have to be jobless to be a taker. As a matter
of fact, all you have to do is take more out than you put in. You say you work
60 hours a week? Good. But do you receive more for those sixty hours a week
than the sweatshop worker who works the same amount of hours who made those
clothes you’re wearing? Don’t tell me you work harder because I don’t buy it.
You say you work smarter but is part of that intelligence in knowing how to
extract more from those sweatshop workers?

…..The world is full of hardworking people who aren’t
getting their share of the pie and yet the only complaints you seem to hear are
from those with the biggest slices. Anyone whose belly is not bursting from
their gluttony, anyone whose plate is not piled high with the fat of the labor
of others, is called a taker. And worse, much worse. Spend five minutes on some
media stations and you’ll hear those without adequate capital described as
subhuman parasites that are dangers to society.

…..To those who equate wealth with worth, I say this: when
you’re old and in a nursing home, perhaps then you will finally appreciate the
worth of those who do the hard jobs for low wages. Maybe then you’ll see just
how hard others work for their living, how much more they contribute to society
than what they get in return. There are so many doing an honest day’s toil
regardless of the inequality of the system. Maybe when your are old you will
see how people are willing to clean up the accident you had in your pants and
still manage to treat you with a measure of dignity.

…..Of course there are takers on the other end of the
spectrum too, those who are doing as little as possible at dead end jobs to get
whatever money they can. Poor takers are no better than rich takers, always
looking out for themselves and trying to maximize profits. But to you who believe
all people without blossoming stock portfolios are takers, who give nothing
back to society, I can only hope that the ones who are changing your adult
diaper are not the kind that will prove you wrong.

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Shell Shock

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Perchance To Dream

Seven Stones

About Me

The Amazing MorseThe Amazing Morse is a blog dedicated to my works of fiction, primarily my first series, The Amazing Morse. My postings will be either from my own perspective or that of my character Dave Morse.